Dublin, OH
6As God’s partners
, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.G3870G1161G4903G3870G2532G5209G1209G3361G5485G2316G1519G2756 2For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.G1063G3004G1873G4675G2540G1184G2532G1722G2250G4991G997G4671G2400G3568G2144G2540G2400G3568G2250G4991 G3367G4349G1722G3367G3363G1248G3469G3363G3469 4In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.G235G1722G3956G4921G1438G5613G1249G2316G1722G4183G5281G1722G2347G1722G318G1722G4730 5We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.G1722G4127G1722G5438G1722G181G1722G2873G1722G70G1722G3521 6We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.G1722G54G1722G1108G1722G3115G1722G5544G1722G40G4151G1722G26G505 7We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.G1722G3056G225G1722G1411G2316G1223G3696G1343G1188G2532G710 8We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.G1223G1391G2532G819G1223G1426G2532G2162G5613G4108G2532G227 9We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.G5613G50G2532G1921G5613G599G2532G2400G2198G5613G3811G2532G3361G2289 10Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.G5613G3076G1161G104G5463G5613G4434G1161G4148G4183G4148G5613G2192G3367G2532G2722G3956 11Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.G2881G2257G4750G455G4314G5209G2257G2588G4115 12There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us.G4729G3756G4729G1722G2254G1161G4729G1722G5216G4698 13I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!G1161G489G846G3004G5613G5043G4115G5210G2532G4115 G3361G2086G571G1063G5101G3352G1343G2532G458G1161G5101G2842G5457G4314G4655 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?G1161G5101G4857G5547G4314G955G2228G5101G3310G4103G3326G571 16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.G1161G5101G4783G3485G2316G3326G1497G1063G5210G2075G3485G2198G2316G2531G2316G2036G3754G1774G1722G846G2532G1704G2532G2071G846G2316G2532G846G2071G3427G2992 17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.G1352G1831G1537G3319G846G2532G873G3004G2962G2532G680G3361G169G2504G1523G5209 18And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”G2532G2071G1519G3962G5213G2532G5210G2071G3427G5207G1519G2532G2364G3004G2962G3841
7Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.G2192G3767G5025G1860G27G2511G1438G575G3956G3436G4561G2532G4151G2005G42G1722G5401G2316 2Please open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, nor led anyone astray, nor taken advantage of anyone.G5562G2248G91G3762G5351G3762G4122G3762 3I’m not saying this to condemn you. I said before that you are in our hearts, and we live or die together with you.G3004G3756G4314G2633G1063G4280G3754G2075G1722G2257G2588G1519G4880G2532G4800 4I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.G4183G3427G3954G4314G5209G4183G3427G2746G5228G5216G4137G3874G5248G5479G1909G3956G2257G2347 G2532G2257G2064G1519G3109G2257G4561G2192G3762G425G235G2346G1722G3956G1855G3163G2081G5401 6But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.G235G2316G3870G5011G3870G2248G1722G3952G5103 7His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!G1161G3756G1722G846G3952G3440G235G2532G1722G3874G3739G3870G1909G5213G312G2254G5216G1972G5216G3602G5216G2205G5228G1700G5620G3165G5463G3123 8I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while.G3754G1499G3076G5209G3076G1722G1992G3338G3756G3338G1499G3338G1063G991G3754G1565G1992G3076G5209G3076G1499G4314G5610 9Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.G3568G5463G3756G3754G3076G235G3754G3076G1519G3341G1063G3076G2596G2316G2443G2210G1537G2257G1722G3367 10For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.G1063G2316G2596G3077G2716G3341G1519G4991G278G1161G3077G2889G2716G2288 11Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.G1063G2400G5124G846G5209G3076G2596G2316G4214G4710G2716G5213G235G627G235G24G235G5401G235G1972G235G2205G235G1557G1722G3956G4921G1438G1511G53G1722G4229 12My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us.G686G1499G1125G5213G3756G1752G91G3761G1752G91G235G1752G2257G4710G5228G5216G1799G2316G5319G4314G5209 13We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.G1223G5124G3870G1909G5216G3874G1161G4056G3123G5463G1909G5479G5103G3754G846G4151G373G575G5216G3956 14I had told him how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true!G3754G2744G1536G846G5228G5216G2617G3756G2617G235G5613G2980G3956G5213G1722G225G2532G3779G2257G2746G3588G1909G5103G1096G225 15Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect.G2532G846G4698G2076G4056G1519G5209G363G5218G5216G3956G5613G3326G5401G2532G5156G1209G846 16I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.G5463G3754G2292G1722G5213G1722G3956
, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.G3870 Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.G1063Paul’s Hardships
3We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.G1325, and by our sincere love.G1722The Temple of the Living God
14Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?G1096? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?G1161G1161G1352G25327Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.G2192
Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance
5When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.G1063 at ease.G1223
